False Equivalency

Most people assume that a physician is a physician and a dentist is a dentist. This is NOT in anyone's best interest and certainly not in the interest of someone that is desperate for good care.

I went to a fabulous small dinner party yesterday and met most of the people there for the first time. When the person sitting next to me realized that I was a dentist, she asked me my opinion about her cosmetic dentistry.

Am I a 'good' dentist? Am I 'good' at cosmetic dentistry? The person sitting next to me has no idea what quality of dentistry that I do and yet she feels that ANY ole dentist can offer a valid opinion about dentistry.

Why is this? You all know that I try to find the best physicians, surgeons and dentists to take care of ME. I would never ask a health professional an opinion unless I knew in advance that he or she was top notch in their area of treatment. I do not believe that a doctor is a doctor and never have.

YOU cannot get the best health care if you ask just anybody to take care of you. False equivalency  i.e. believing that all doctors are the same...can kill you.

The Inside Story

Patients think that when they go to discount or Corporate owned dental offices (Example: Aspen) that they are getting the same EXACT quality of dental care that their local dentist provides but only cheaper.

Not even close.

The best dentists take care of their patients and are paid a commensurate fee for excellence. Corporate dental offices take care of profits by treating lots of people and performing the maximum amount of dentistry.

One way that Corporate dental practices keep their fees lower  is by mandating that the dentist only use certain labs that are also primarily concerned with profit rather than quality.

This article in the Dallas Morning News is about the closing of dental laboratories in Texas because Corporate and Insurance based dentists are forced to use overseas labs.

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-dallas-morning-news/20170511/282458528877540

If your insurance company doesn't care about quality...and it doesn't
And Corporate Dental Offices don't care about quality

Then who is going to care about YOU?

There is a fine line between maximizing profits and providing great care to your patient.

In our office taking care of our  patients is our primary concern.

115 Years is Nothing

This past February, I wrote a blog about about three patients that had been my patient for a total of 115 years. Well two weeks ago, we saw 9 patients in ONE DAY each of whom had been in our office a MINIMUM of 30 YEARS. All combined, the total time treating these patients was about 300 YEARS.

Also, last week, one of my patients told her physician that she had an up coming dental appointment. The doctor asked my patient who her dentist was and when my patient mentioned my name, she also said that I had taken care of her for 33 years. The doctor was stunned that a patient would stay with the same dentist for more than three decades.

I am so honored to have cared for thousands of patients for a very long time. It speaks volumes for both you and I. I care for you and you care about me.. We are both very lucky.

My Staff

Everyone knows that I believe that I have the best staff...The most knowledgeable, the most caring of our patients and the most loyal. I believe that it is my job to be the best  employer  that I can as well as trying to be the best clinician that I can (Please note Dental Societies: I did NOT say that I was the best dentist.)

We do our best to function as a well oiled machine. More importantly we do our best to be a family. This means that we have great concern for each other.  I care for my staff and they care for me; and we all care for our patients.

We saw two new patients this week that came to our office after they met Trish, our hygienist, while she was shopping in the stores where they worked. They were both impressed by how Trish enjoyed working in our office and how highly she spoke of the level of dentistry that we provide.

Both patients were truly excited to become one of our patients.

This is what our office strives for. We all LOVE what we do and we try to do the best dentistry when we take care of you.

Our office is not for every dental patient and we know that. Just as my staff and I believe that our office is special, we also believe that our patients are just as special. You all have an understanding that quality dentistry is important and that you will search, research and investigate until you find a dental practice that meets your needs and expectations.

My staff is a large part of providing excellence in order to meet your needs, wants and expectations.

You Don't have to Be a Dentist to See the Difference

A young man of 23 became our patient a few short months ago when he said that he heard good things about our office and recognized that his current dentist was not meeting his expectations.

I replaced all of defective fillings with beautiful bonded resins and he was thrilled. However, his main concern was replacing a porcelain fused to metal crown that was recently placed by one of the Corporate Dental places.

Yesterday, I removed the crown, which was ugly and  had already failed because the porcelain was chipping off the crown near the gum line. This is what I discovered:

So what happened to the rest of the tooth? Did the dentist break off the rest of the tooth when removing the temporary crown????  Or is this how the dentist found the tooth from the previous dentist? Oh yes...I was placing the THIRD crown on this tooth for a 23 years old.

When I finished preparing his tooth, this is what the tooth looked like:

I know that the majority of readers of my blogs are NOT dentists  but it must be clear to you that  how I prepared my patient's tooth is a beautiful work of art (That is what my eyes see). When I removed the crown, the gum tissues were purple and inflamed  because the metal in the crown was low noble or non noble so that the dentist can pay less to the dental lab for making the crown. Look how healthy the gum tissue is simply by removing the old crown

You don't need to be a dentist to see what quality dentistry looks like.

Cost, Value and Caring

I saw a patient today that has been in my practice since 1998 and between that year and 2004, I restored her entire mouth. This patient was working with the State at the time and used one of the "State" Dental Clinics in Albany for her dental care. She was used to having 'constant care' which means that a filling was put in last year and replaced again next year. And I remember that she thought that I was expense by what the "State"Dentist Clinic charged.
Over these past 20 years, my patient has developed an understanding of what our practice is about: Providing the best possible care that we can and have our work last for as long as it can.

Several months ago, I diagnosed a small, new cavity on the root surface of a tooth that was not related or connected to any of the restorative dentistry that I had provided to this patient. On the day of the appointment to place a new filling, my patient said:

"You know, this is the first time in 15 YEARS that you have done any work for me."

FIFTEEN YEARS!!!!!!

Some people believe that our practice is  expensive but I have to ask you, "How expensive can our office be when you only pay for treatment (other than cleanings, x-rays and exams) ONCE every 15 years?"

I hate replacing my own work even when the work has lasted more than two decades. I truly believe that the longevity of our work combined with our care and concern for our patients is truly a great value.

Given the fact that I have 100s of patients that I have cared for for more than 30 years, many of you must agree with my staff and I.

As always, we thank you for being our patient and trusting us.

(Aside: I told Laura that I would write a blog about her)

"Why Do You Charge So Much More Than My Insurance Company Pays?"

Every few years I feel compelled to answer this question even though I do not participate with any insurance company.*

56 YEARS ago, 1961 to be exact, dental insurance was first offered by some companies as a benefit for their employees. The limit back then was $1,000 but one thousand dollars would pay for 8 1/3 crowns or in other words, this was an enormous sum of money.

Fast forward to 2017 and the vast majority of dental insurance STILL  has a limit of $1,000 or $1,500. Put in perspective, that is like saying that if you were working at your job 56 years ago, your employer is still paying you the SAME salary which is worth only 12% of what it once was.

Your employer doesn't care about your teeth.
Your insurance company also doesn't care about your teeth.

So either YOU care about your teeth or you may not be able to keep all your teeth all of your life.

Last week (actually all on one day)  I saw 9 of my long term patients, all with me for 30 or more years. What was common in all of these patients?

1. They had virtually every tooth that they started with me.
2. They had very few crowns on their teeth.
3. As a group, they only had ONE dental implant.

You and I care about your teeth...and it shows.




* I do submit insurance claims for patients and bill patients for what their insurance companies don't pay.

Made My Day

I have been treating a patient who is having full mouth  implant supported restorations. Presently, it is the  most sophisticated restorative dental treatment that a restorative dentist like me performs. Despite the complexity of this treatment, this is very similar to what I have been doing for almost 20 years.

As you know, I like treatment that I do to be successful and go as  smoothly as possible  and when it doesn't, I have to work harder to accomplish the task.

Yesterday, my patient, who is extremely grateful for what we have done for him said,

"The last time that someone took care of me with your passion and in a place that I felt cared for like here was when an old guy restored my old Triumph (A British 'sports' car). The paint job that he did still looks fabulous and the car looks like it came just came off of the showroom."

I am so honored and pleased when a patient recognizes that all I want to do is to take care of you in a proficient, honest and ethical way. My job is to make you happy and your mouth healthy.

We obviously hit the mark with this patient.

What People That KNOW Say

Respect from people in one's industry is vitally important to success. There is an ad on TV which says, "People that know, know BBDO." If no one knows you, it makes no difference how capable you are in your business because no one knows.

In dentistry, I am moderately well known among the people that know:
 1. I won the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Smile Contest almost 20 years ago.
2.  I founded (with Dr. Fred McIntyre and Dr. Goldberg) the first Esthetic Center within a Dental School at SUNY/Buffalo.
3. I have approximately 7,000 hours of Post Doctoral education.
4. I have frequently lectured locally and mentor young dentists here and internationally
5. I have posted our cases on well known international dental forums for almost 20 years to wide acclaim.
6. One of the foremost dental educators and renown clinical dentists made the statement on his video blog that, "Jerry Benjamin is a superb dentist from Upstate NY who really believes in excellence."

I  want you to know that YOUR dentist is not 'just' a corner dentist.

I was in Chicago studying at the Cosmedent Center for Education (CCE)last week and reconnected with some people that I have known for a long time. One of them is the director of  education for the CCE. Erika has been with the CCE since the Center opened almost 20 years ago and this is what she said in an email yesterday:

Good morning Dr. Benjamin! 

Thank YOU so much for your cherished presence during the course!

I am really glad that you were able to take Corky’s course and to get to know him a little better.

It really is hard to believe you’ve been coming to the CEE and using the products for as long as you have been.

Your patients are sooooo lucky to have you as their dentist and the dental profession is greater for you being in it.

It really went by way too fast. 

May be meet again for more storytelling and laughter!

Your number one fan always,

Erika

I am thrilled that people who know dentistry recognize the fact that taking care of my patients is what I do.

As always, thank you for TRUSTING  us to take care of you.

Human Decency

I was in Chicago to study at the Cosmedent Center for Excellence. I have been studying at the CCE for the entire 18 years that the center has been at 401 Michigan Avenue and, in fact, I had been studying with Cosmedent for 2 years before the Education Center was started.  The Center brings in dentists who are among the best in the world at direct resin bonding including Newton Fahl, the Brazilian dentist who IS the best in the world.

Class ended at noon on Saturday and I took a short walk on  Michigan Avenue, commonly called the Miracle Mile because of all the exclusive stores and hotels on this road...Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Rolex, Apple etc are all here. Also on the street was an elderly gray haired  lady, sitting on the cold pavement next to a tree, with her crutches near her feet. She desperately needed a handkerchief to wipe her nose. Also next to her was a paper cup in her lap for people to put money in; and in a little voice she repeated, "Help me, please."

I know that many beggars do quite well and, in fact do as well as if they had a 'real job' so that many people feel that they are being scammed. This old lady was not one of them. Yes, I understand that many street people are mentally ill but that does not make me feel better to see that old lady. I initially walked past her by 20 feet, reached into my pocket and took out a $5 bill and walked back to her and put the money in her hand rather than the cup. She looked at me and mouthed the words, "Thank you," still needing a Kleenex.

When I reached my hotel room, I turned on the news to see that 'Wheels On Meals" was being severely cut. This is a program to deliver 2 meals a day to elderly shut ins that can no longer fend for themselves.

I am sorry but where is our humanity. This is not a Liberal or Conservative issue but one of human decency. How will these people eat?

How and why is this happening?

Because rich people want to pay less taxes.

What am I missing here?  Do we want the elderly to starve?  Have we really become this desensitized to people who have nothing?

Not in my name.